GB2208199A

GB2208199A - Safety cradle

Info

Publication number: GB2208199A
Application number: GB8815865A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dieter Glaser
Original assignee: PEG KINDERWAGEN
Current assignee: PEG KINDERWAGEN
Priority date: 1987-07-21
Filing date: 1988-07-04
Publication date: 1989-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2008-07-04
Also published as: GB8815865D0; IT8821193A0; DE3724131A1; GB2208199B

Description

-1SAFETY CRADLE

Description 2208199

The present invention relates 1,o a safety cradle of the type defined in the generic clause of claim 1.

A safety cradle of this type is known from DE-OS 35 46 081. The known safety cradle is formed as a portable container adapted to have shockabsorbing shaped bodies placed therein as required. The shock-absorbing shaped bodies are dimensioned to substantially fill all of the voids between the walls of the cradle and the baby in the lateral direction. In this manner the baby is prevented from being hurled against the wall of the cradle via an existing clearance and thus with a high acceleration in the case of a front-end collision. It is not always required, however, that a cradle of this type be also suitable for accommodating a baby when not travelling in a motor vehicle. in addition, the removal and insertion of the shock-absorbing shaped bodies is a relatively fastidious operation.

It is an object of the invention to provide a safety cradle designed for remaining in the motor vehicle.

This object is attained by the characterizing features set forth in claim 1.

As the sidewalls of the cradle themselves are of a shockabsorbing construction and placed at a safety distance from one another, the cradle can remain in the motor vehicle.

The material employed for a safety cradle of this type is subjected to severe demands. On the one hand, the material must be sufficiently flexible for absorbing acceleration forces by its deformation without injury to the baby. On the other hand the material must be sufficiently strong for resisting the force of an impact. This applies partic- ularly to the case in which the safety cradle is secured to the rear seat for instance of a passenger car by means of the relatively narrow standard safety belts. Suitable materials are specified in subclaims 2 to 7.

is 1 The provision set forth in claim 8 permits the head of the baby to be safely retained in a similar manner.

The employ of a chest cloth as specified in claims 9 and 10 is effective to safely prevent the baby from dropping out of the cradle.

An embodiment of the invention shall now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings, wherein:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a safety cradle according to the invention, fig. 2 shows a sectional view taken along the line II-II in fig. 1, and fig. 3 shows a sectional view taken along the line III-III in fig. 1.

Shown in fig. 1 is a safety cradle 1 having a circumferenttial sidewall 2 enclosing an accommodation space 3 for the accommodation of a baby. As shown in fig. 2, sidewall 2 has two long sidewall portions 2a and 2b extending substant ially transversely of the direction of travel and connected to one another by a bottom wall 2c. Secured to the exterior of sidewall 2 are loops 4, angular hooks or the like for retailning a-conventional safety belt employed for securing safety cradle 1 an the back seat ifor instance of a moto-r vehicle.

Disposed within safety cradle 1 is a bottom 5 connected to bottom waill 2c. A chest cloth 6 extends around the lateral edges of bottom 5 and is adapted to be closed over the chest of a baby by means of a zip fastener 7.

so The length of chest cloth 6 is selected so that the latter is loosely tensioned over the chest of the baby, and preferably so as to permit a matress to be placed on bottom 5. In this manner the baby is prevented from being flung out of the cradle in the case for instance of an overturn or somersault of the vehicle.

As particularly shown in fig. 2, accommodation space 3 at the rump section of the baby is limited by sidewalls 2a and 2b to a width b R parallel to the direction of travel, t this width corresponding to the average width of the rump 2 1 of a baby. For babies of an age of up to nine months, or of a weight of up to 9 k,, this width has been estab!Lshed as being between 20 and 30 cm. In this manner there remain no clearances which might result in dangerous shock accelerations for the baby in case of a head-on collision.

At the head section of the baby as shown in fig. 3, sidewall portions 2a and 2b restrict accommodation space 3 to a width b K which is smaller than width b. and substant- ially corresponds to the average width of a baby's head which may be assumed as being between about 10 and 20 em. In this manner the head of the baby is prevented from whip-lashing sideways in the case of a head-on collision.

The length of safety cradle 1 transversely of the direction of travel of the motor vehicle is by contrast not critical and may be determined from the viewpoint of convenience. Care should be taken, however, that the baby cannot slip to far out of the restricted head section.

The safety cradle 1 shown is formed of a plastic material as an integral shell. The plastic material employed should on the one hand have sufficient local deformability, for absorbing the cinetic energy of a head-on collis.cn. On ien- mechanic---- Lhe other hand it should have suffic- t, strength, and/or permit the sidewalls to be formed with a suitable thickness for preventing excessive deformation or damage of the safety cradle with the resultant risk of injury to the baby. Suitable plastic materials for this purpose include for instance chloroprene rubber, cast resin compounds on the basis of unsaturated polyesters, copolymers or graft polymers of acryle-nitrile, butadiene and styrene, or ABS polymers, respectively, or polycarbonates.

It is further possible to make the safety cradle of a braided material. Thanks to the limited slippage of their components relative to one another, braided-materials are 35 relatively well capable of absorbing cinetic energy by 0 local deformation. The required mechanical strength is obtaiend by a sufficiently stable construction. The 4 1 material may again be a plastic material or a conventional wickerwork structure.

A further highly suitable material for the construction of the sidewalls is hard cardboard. The thickness of the hard cardboard walls should be at least 1.5 mm. The bottom employed in combination with sidewalls of hard cardboard is advantageo-uzly Df plywolod to which the sidewalls could be bonded. If a chest cloth is employed it can be passed through slots in the plywood bottom.

In a modification of the embodiments described, it possible that only the sidewall portions 2a and 2b extending transversely of the direction of travel are made as a shock-absorbing construction, while the side- wall portions extending substantially parallel to the direction of travel are made of conventional materials. Sidewalls made of a braided material or plastic material may also be connected to a plywood bottom.

is 1 - r, - Safety Cradle

Claims

Patent Claims:

A safety cradle for accommodating a baby in a motor vehicle, wherein the baby ies transversely of the direction of travel in an accommodation space defined in the direction of travel by shock-absorbing boundary means formed so as to avoid might result in shock characterized in that 20 the sidewalls (2a,2b) Cety cradle
2. A saL in that said sidewalls solid plastic material.

the formation of any clearance which. accelerations endangering the baby, said boundary means is formed by of said cradle (1).

according to claim 1, characterized (2a,2b) consist of a shock-absorbing
3. A safety cradle according to claim 2, characterized in that said sidewalls (2a,2b) are made of chloroprene rubber, cast resin compounds on the basis of unsaturated polyesters, copolymers or graft polymers of acryle-nitrile, butadiene and styrene or ABS polymers, respectively, or polycarbonates.
4. A safety cradle according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is integrally formed as a plastic shell.
A safety cradle according to claim 1, characterized 35 in that said sidewalls (2a,2b) are made of hard cardboard.
6. A safety cradle according to claim-1, characterized in that said sidewalls (2a,2b) are made of a plaited material.

1 1
7. A safety cradle according to claim 6, characterized in that said sidewalls (2a,2b) are wickerwork.
8. A safety cradle according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said sidewalls (2a,2b) are formed to restrict the accommodation space (3) in the head section still further than in the rump section so as to avoid the formation of any clearances in said head section which might result in shock accelerations endangering the baby.
9. A safety cradle according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it is provided with a chest cloth (6) for preventing the baby from dropping out.
10. A safety cradle according to claim 9, characterized in that said chest cloth (6) is connected to a bottom (5) 15 supporting the baby.
11. A safey cradle for accommodating a baby in a motor vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

so Published 198B a nnc Patem, Office. Stvte Hc-;sc 66-,! Rig, HcItcrn. London 1., CIR 47F Furthc: ccpet be obw-net frc= The Ylwen- Off:cE Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techmques ltd, St Mary Cray. Kent- Con. 1-87